Storm Cloud: Greed, Betrayal and Success

[blazza18]

It's no wonder why the players were pissed at Gallop. They got no support in any of it and were made public enemy number 1 from it. Will have to live with it for the rest of their lives.

[Go Storm]

Still sounds like a bit of a News 'love-in' where anybody linked to Murdoch's corporation is completely innocent on all counts. And even though they were the owners of both the NRL and the Storm, had 3 active board members at Storm, and the CEO of the NRL, they all seemed to have had the wool pulled over their eyes?!?

Does it explain why the 3 non-News Ltd board members, who were partially blamed and later sacked, tried to sue the NRL over this if they were infact guilty?

Has Peter O'Sullivan given any recollection of events? Or evidence of other such goings-on at other clubs? Has Brian Waldron told his story? Or exposed who was pulling his strings? Has Hartigan admitted to any prior knowledge? What of the 3 News Ltd board members, anything from them? Has Gallop or Schubert got anything to add?
And who was the whistleblower? What was their involvement in all this?

There are still many untold facts. And until they are told this story may as well have been written by Rupert Murdoch himself.

I may have a glance at it in a few weeks time when it's in a $5 clearance bin next to other such pulp fiction.

[The Mauritian]

The author criticises news limited in the last few chapters. The guy who wrote this definitely isn't news limited. I'm thinking Fairfax or independant. Basically Waldron is a knob and if he hadn't GUARANTEED the TPA's, we wouldn't have been over the cap. And Gallop is a dodgy prick who decided the penalties in half an hour even when he hadn't seen the final figures.

[stormy]

This is a letter that Brett White wrote to Gallop on the night we were stripped of premierships.
at 4am. He never sent it. Wish he had.

'Your suggestion was that we play for personal pride - obviously comes from someone that has never pulled on a pair of footy boots. That you'll offer us a counseling service to get over this shows your disconnection from the players of the game. At least have the decency to give us something to play for. Give us a reason to truly go out there and compete week to week. Give the fans a reason to turn up each week. Give the members something to be proud of. Give us a chance to make our members proud again before our team is torn apart.

it really is a cracking book. I couldn't put it down, read it in two days. Very well written. Expect a Tele movie lol.

I hate giddyup with a(terrorists) passion. he never cared about how our players and how they would cope with this.He didn`t stop the daily telecrap from putting "Cheat " posters in their paper so that eels fans could take it to the game the night we played them.The boss of the afl would have protected an afl club in the same situation.
How did giddyup think he would be treated by the Storm members and fans the first time in 2 seasons that he was game (or had no choice) but to go to a home Storm game. He added more fuel to the fire by comparing us to terrorists. We hated the fact that he deserted OUR players.
Brett White I have to tell you that I never stopped being proud of my CHAMPION TEAM.

[glennb]

The statement Craig read on the ground with the players behind him was written by Brett White and Cooper Cronk. It was "polished" up by the Storm media department, but basically their words. Very proud of these guys.

Everything Gallop says during the book (and he was interviewed) nothing was ever done incorrectly by the NRL. Even when the directors started the court case because they believe they did not have due course to appeal the penalties handed down. Gallop says that the club had been in the NRL for years and had large and minor fine and penalties had down over the years and knew they had 5 days to agree or disagree with the penalties. Moodie, Watt and Hason agreed to the penalties on the spot so they gave up the 5 day appeal time. In the meeting these three were never told they had 5 days and maybe they did not know but according to Gallop they should have known and it is their fault for not knowing. So they have no course for the court case. This guy is a lawyer the onus is on the NRL to pass on all the information, not assume everything is known.

[LESStar58]

I like this bit.

"To assuage his creeping discomfort, Hanson once asked a player manager whether it was happening at other clubs. The agent replied, 'Ive got players with every single club and they've all got separate deals to the NRL Contract.'

Tell us something we don't know. I bet it ain't happening there any more although in 2011 I remember someone from RLW coming out and claiming he knew of 6-8 clubs still flaunting the rules.

The more this goes on the more I'm likely to have zero sympathy for the next mob who gets busted. Once upon a time I was solidly of the view that I wouldn't want this to happen even to my most hated teams (Dragons, Souffs and Bullfilth -again). It would be hypocitical of any Storm fan to call them "cheats" as Bullfilth fans still do but they'd get no symapthy from me.

[Mattpoet]

Just finished reading it, quite fair in my opinion.

My one disappointment - the author skims past 11/9/11, the day we booed Gallop. He only mentions it in one sentence and does not even refer to his stupid and offensive comments afterwards (on the 10th anniversary of the wtc bombing no less). The author said the booing was purely in response to the sanctions. To me, this betrays a lack of understanding, it was partly because of the sanctions, partly because of his intimidatory tactics which ensured due process was not followed and partly because it took him 18 months to sack up and front us. If he had come out that week and made a public statement, showing that he understood that we were innocent victims, then he would still have been booed, yes, but, he would have been forgiven with time too. He did none of this and went on to make the infamous terrorist reference (which he never apologised to US for). He was also being ridiculous in that, without passion in sport, he would not have had a job! I know I'm being unrealistic, but, I would like, just once, for a media commentator to have the balls to call that litigous prick on this.

[Cherry_Poppins]

Just finished reading it, quite fair in my opinion.

My one disappointment - the author skims past 11/9/11, the day we booed Gallop. He only mentions it in one sentence and does not even refer to his stupid and offensive comments afterwards (on the 10th anniversary of the wtc bombing no less). The author said the booing was purely in response to the sanctions. To me, this betrays a lack of understanding, it was partly because of the sanctions, partly because of his intimidatory tactics which ensured due process was not followed and partly because it took him 18 months to sack up and front us. If he had come out that week and made a public statement, showing that he understood that we were innocent victims, then he would still have been booed, yes, but, he would have been forgiven with time too. He did none of this and went on to make the infamous terrorist reference (which he never apologised to US for). He was also being ridiculous in that, without passion in sport, he would not have had a job! I know I'm being unrealistic, but, I would like, just once, for a media commentator to have the balls to call that litigous prick on this.

A certain other group of fans just want an apology for our superstar fullback but when we voice it,its just butthurt or some other insult

I'm surprised this thread isn't seen as 'trolling ' as its about something anti Melbourne,you can have the internet police on you for negative article posting

I've thought all along the breach was about third party contracts being guaranteed as other than 3 stars your team is full of castaways and rejects from other clubs

Thing you'll have to remember about that four eyed little prick is he is a lawyer, if he was to apologize it'd be admitting guilt and would open his ass up to legal action, I hope he gets shot in the crotch with a flare gun by a wanderers fan

BTW did Melbourne or Smith ever get anything monetary from legal proceedings about the "Benoit" front/back page picture? News should've been in a lot more trouble about that "mistake"

[Cherry_Poppins]

The author criticises news limited in the last few chapters. The guy who wrote this definitely isn't news limited. I'm thinking Fairfax or independant. Basically Waldron is a knob and if he hadn't GUARANTEED the TPA's, we wouldn't have been over the cap. And Gallop is a dodgy prick who decided the penalties in half an hour even when he hadn't seen the final figures.

Does the book say him deciding without anyone else's input is true or false?

It should have been decided by the other 15 CEO's not him

Whens the second book coming out?








I mean Waldron's book,made you scroll down

[Rose Madder]

I have just finished reading it, and to be honest I think it is very well written, and we "The Storm, come out of it "not too bad". Can't say the same for Waldon or in fact Greg Inglis,.David Gallop in my opinion comes out as a liar. on 21st of April the NRL gave Melbourne Storm ONE WEEK to present their case and stated that sanctions would be set in place on 27th April, the severity of those sanctions would be determined on what was produced in that week, the next day 22/4 Ian Moodie along with 2 other board members flew up to Sydney for a meeting with the NRL and before they got there, the sanctions had not only been put into place, but released to the media !!!
The book is very informative and is a must read for Storm supporters. I have to admit to shedding a tear at one point !!

[LESStar58]

Just finished reading it, quite fair in my opinion.

My one disappointment - the author skims past 11/9/11, the day we booed Gallop. He only mentions it in one sentence and does not even refer to his stupid and offensive comments afterwards (on the 10th anniversary of the wtc bombing no less). The author said the booing was purely in response to the sanctions. To me, this betrays a lack of understanding, it was partly because of the sanctions, partly because of his intimidatory tactics which ensured due process was not followed and partly because it took him 18 months to sack up and front us. If he had come out that week and made a public statement, showing that he understood that we were innocent victims, then he would still have been booed, yes, but, he would have been forgiven with time too. He did none of this and went on to make the infamous terrorist reference (which he never apologised to US for). He was also being ridiculous in that, without passion in sport, he would not have had a job! I know I'm being unrealistic, but, I would like, just once, for a media commentator to have the balls to call that litigous prick on this.

A certain other group of fans just want an apology for our superstar fullback but when we voice it,its just butthurt or some other insult

I'm surprised this thread isn't seen as 'trolling ' as its about something anti Melbourne,you can have the internet police on you for negative article posting

I've thought all along the breach was about third party contracts being guaranteed as other than 3 stars your team is full of castaways and rejects from other clubs

Thing you'll have to remember about that four eyed little prick is he is a lawyer, if he was to apologize it'd be admitting guilt and would open his ass up to legal action, I hope he gets shot in the crotch with a flare gun by a wanderers fan

BTW did Melbourne or Smith ever get anything monetary from legal proceedings about the "Benoit" front/back page picture? News should've been in a lot more trouble about that "mistake"

I'm a Storm fan Cherry and the links are where you can purchase the book from... it's also who I work for. As it happens we're selling a shit load.

[Go Storm]

Hey LESStar58, how's Bellamy's book fairing against this one?

[sallymay]

Craig's book is amazing...very him...talks about his family the storm boys and how he works

[Go Storm]

Craig's book is amazing...very him...talks about his family the storm boys and how he works

I'm reading it now. Was just wondering how sales numbers compare between the books.

[LESStar58]

Hey LESStar58, how's Bellamy's book fairing against this one?

I can only speak for my work but Storm Cloud has out sold Home Truths for now but not by much. Home Truths, as I mentioned in the corresponding thread, is fantatsic. No interest really in reading Storm Cloud but as long as both keep selling that's fine with me.